The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
Typically, a tailgate, or sometimes the hatch, is a hinged board or door at the rear of a vehicle that can be moved up or down during loading and unloading. Also called a tailboard, it is commonly found in pickup trucks or hatchback vehicles. A truck tailgate panel often consists of an inner and outer glass fiber composite panel bonded together, along with a toughened and heated window glass attached to the outer surface. A striker pin at each rear corner of the truck tailgate engages with a spring loaded latch plate on the body, with a single release cable operating both latches and terminating in release handle on the driver's side of the cabin rear bulkhead.
Typically, a pickup truck with an open bed is a useful motor vehicle for its passenger and cargo carrying capabilities. While pickup trucks can be selected with different sized cargo areas, there is always time that a cargo piece of extra length must be carried which may be too long for the truck even with the tailgate in a down position. Pickup trucks have also been widely used as transportation to sporting events and for tailgate parties that the driver may attend at the event. For the tailgate party, it may be desirable to have more tabletop space than that could be provided by the tailgate itself. Also, for general eating, writing, and resting capabilities, a raised platform on the tailgate may be a useful accessory for such vehicles.
Other proposals have involved accessories that enhance the tailgate capacities of pickups. The problem with these accessories is that they do not hingedly articulate directly from the tailgate of the pickup. Also, these accessories do not provide a stabilizer bar and lateral extensions to increase structural integrity and surface area of the platform. Even though the above cited accessories that enhance the tailgate capacities of pickups meet some of the needs of the market, a hose gripping apparatus that wraps around a retractable tailgate table provides a folding table structure that is operable from the tailgate of a vehicle, so as to expand the functionality of the vehicle by providing a supportive and adjustable table that can be retracted for stowage or folded out from the tailgate for operational usage from the tailgate is still desired.